Millions of records worldwide. Millions of tickets sold for their motion picture documentary. Millions of girls (and boys) swooning. Is there anything Brit boy band, One Direction can’t do?!
Apparently they can’t make an original video. Blasphemy, I know.
The group released the video for their new single, “You & I,” last week, much to the chagrin of Australian creative outlet OhYeahWow. The team was responsible for Australian band Clubfeet’s award-winning clip “Everything You Wanted,” a video with eerily similar stop-motion tricks. The company quickly issued a statement regarding the similarities between the two videos, yet acknowledging the possibility of “creative evolution”:
"Late Friday night whilst we were busy observing the good traditions of the public holiday, something very suspicious was brought to our attention. It seems that the chaps of One Direction have taken it upon themselves to regurgitate our original concept, as seen in our award-winning clip for Clubfeet’s Everything You Wanted. Don’t get us wrong, we here at Oh Yeah Wow are big One Direction fans and are envious of their ability to maintain flawless hairdos."
"To be crystal clear, OYW has nothing against creative evolution. Artists constantly reinterpret other works that have inspired them and we’re fine with people taking a technique and using it to create something new…The wider problem is, that plagiarism and copycatting is becoming increasingly common and acceptable."
SHOTS FIRED!
OYW even went so far as to urge their fans to tweet 1D and the video’s director with the hashtag #nodirection. In the era of royalties and lawsuits, I’d be surprised to think the record-labels-that-be thought they could get away with this.
Do you think this is a blatant rip-off or merely homage to unknown work? Let us know!
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_kqQDCxRCzM[/embed]
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SPffFTWZWlI[/embed]